Whenever we come across sports nutrition information that can help those we work with, I think it is important to share it. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a compound that can help to solve a problem all too common for aspiring and professional athletes – a lack of deep sleep and increased “sleep-debt” because of the lingering, accumulating stress that comes with high training volumes and late-night competition/practices. 600mg of PS taken daily has been shown to blunt the cortisol response to training-induced stress, helping athletes to keep symptoms of overtraining (lowered heart rate, lean tissue breakdown, depleted work capacity, etc.) at bay, allowing them to maintain a more balanced secretion of hormones within their bodies and, most critically, helping them to fall asleep sooner and perhaps more deeply after getting home late from activity.
Another great thing about this product is that it is already present in our bodies and has several important purposes. It can therefore be used for other things when the body does not require it for the task described herein. In other words, if the body is not particularly stressed at the time of taking it, PS may instead be used to support brain health and function, or even for MTor signalling (muscle growth) in the same way that Phosphatidic Acid (PA) and other phospholipid compounds do.
There have been concerns that infectious disease could spread from cattle to humans. I’m not sure if that is true, but in many cases products that were once derived from bovine cortex have since been replaced with alternatives. The same is true for PS which is now largely derived from soy or sunflower, and perhaps these are the best way to consume the product, just to be safe.
Happy Training.
